Dr Paul Dongha was studying intelligent agents before most people had internet access. Today, he leads Responsible AI at NatWest, shaping how artificial intelligence supports financial customers while protecting trust. In this conversation, Paul unpacks how GenAI is changing the relationship between banks and individuals, why emotional AI must be treated with caution, and how his 1996 PhD on goal-directed agents is now shockingly relevant.

We explore what it means to act ethically with AI, how regulation and innovation can coexist, and why the future of finance might look more like a conversation than a transaction.BASELINE exposes the truth behind AI’s unstoppable rise. In-depth interviews with AI experts, real analysis, and insights you can trust on the technology reshaping our world.

EPISODE LINKS:

https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/governing-the-machine-9781399426299/EPISODE

CHAPTERS:

00:00 – Intro: Paul Dongha and 30 years of AI

04:15 – From PhD to agentic AI in the enterprise

10:35 – What AI is (and what it isn’t)

16:22 – Emotional AI, trust and digital relationships

22:10 – Responsible autonomy and personal assistants

26:44 – Stripe’s model breakthrough and financial ethics

32:02 – Regulating innovation and NatWest’s approach

37:55 – Personalisation, banking apps, and AI futures

43:10 – Utopia? Final reflections